Published: Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 12:12 p.m.

The event is an old-fashioned Easter bonnet parade with a new twist. Participants sashay through downtown Hendersonville in their finest Easter bonnets, representing their churches in the annual event.

Everyone is welcome — men, women and children. People who wish to participate in the contest should gather in the 400 block of Main Street and saunter southward for five blocks, then cross to the west side of Main Street and promenade north to the 600 block, cross to the east and amble back to the starting point.

The winners will receive a basket of goodies from Narnia Studios. Call 828-697-6393 for more information.

Author Benson to read at Hannah Flanagan's

Hendersonville author and columnist Bruce Benson will read from his book "The Embrace" at 3 p.m. today at Hannah Flanagan's Irish Pub at 300 N. Main St.

"The Embrace" is a journal of Benson's time in Egypt, where he picked up trash at the Great Pyramids of Giza as a demonstration of his spiritual philosophy, which he calls The Embrace.

"If anyone who has seen me picking up trash in Hendersonville over the last five years has wondered why I was doing it, I will try to answer the question," Benson said.

Reception for Kanuga exhibit on April 7

The Kanuga Conference Center at 130 Kanuga Chapel Drive, Hendersonville, will host an opening reception for the 28th annual Kanuga Watermedia Workshops Instructors' Exhibition from 2:30-5 p.m. April 7 in the Fireside Lounge at the Kanuga Conference Center Inn. The exhibit runs April 7-11.

Other viewing times are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 8-10 and from 10 a.m.-noon April 11.

The annual Kanuga Watermedia Workshop welcomes artists from across the country to study with these instructors. Each student artist works intensely with a selected instructor for the entire workshop. Call 517-281-1043 or email jtkovan@gmail.com, robbie@ kanugaww.com for more information.

Literary grant applications available

South Arts is accepting applications for its 2013-14 literary arts grant program.

This competitive program offers nonprofit arts organizations in a nine-state region the financial support to engage writers (fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry) who reside outside of the applicant's state. Applicants can receive up to $2,500.

Past grantees include the Global Education Center in Tennessee, The Festival of Words Cultural Arts Collective in Louisiana and Ruth Eckerd Hall Inc. in Florida. They have brought in writers such as Matthew Shenoda, Randall Kenan and Glenis Redmond.

The application deadline is May 1. Call 404-874-7244, Ext. 16, for more information.

ASHEVILLE

Auditions set for ‘Carousel' and opera

Asheville Lyric Opera auditions for both the musical "Carousel" and opera "Suor Angelica" will take place from 5-8 p.m. April 11 at the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville.

Auditions are open to all singers regardless of experience. Rehearsal schedules are made available during the audition process. All conflicts must be noted at the audition. Schedule conflicts will influence casting. Only conflicts noted at the audition will be taken into consideration. Costume measurements will be taken from all who audition, but this does not guarantee casting. Auditioners should plan to arrive 30 minutes early.

Auditions will take place on the Diana Wortham Theatre stage. Neither the musical nor opera will be amplified by electronic means. Please keep this in mind when preparing vocally. All singers must enter through the loading dock on South Market Street directly across from the Asheville Fire Station.

All applicants must provide a performance resume and photograph. An accompanist is provided. To cover expenses, a $5 audition fee (cash or check only) is required. Call 828-236-0670 to schedule an audition. Office hours are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays.

PENLAND

Craft school offering reduced tuition

Penland School of Crafts at 3135 Conley Ridge Road, Penland, has open spaces in several upcoming classes available at half tuition to residents of Western North Carolina counties including Buncombe, Henderson, Polk and Transylvania.

Regular room and board charges apply, but students are not required to stay on campus.

The week of April 7-13, three classes are open. Elizabeth Rideout will teach calligraphy and decorated letters focusing on the Italic lettering style. John Woodin's photography class will emphasize portraiture with a mixture of natural and flash lighting. Students in Bill Thomas' wood class will make a complete wooden canoe. In addition to the tuition, the wood class has a $1,200 fee for the canoe materials.

Ceramic artist Tom Spleth will teach a two-week workshop, from April 7-20, on all aspects of making plaster molds for slipcasting, pressmolding and handbuilding.

Except for Charlie and Linda Riggs' clay class, which requires some experience, classes are open to student of all levels; beginners are welcome. Complete information is available in the classes section of the Penland website at www.penland.org.

"The Great Pi vs. E Debate" features Colin Adams and Thomas Garrity, both professors of mathematics at Williams College in Massachussets.

Adams writes a humorous column for the Mathematical Intelligencer Journal, is author of "The Knot Book" (American Mathematical Society, 2004) and received the Deborah and Franklin Pepper Haimo Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America.

Garrity is the author of "All the Mathematics You Missed (But Need to Know for Graduate School)" (Cambridge University Press, 2002), a technical text covering topics such as vector calculus, probability theory, abstract algebra and numerous other subfields of mathematics.

"The Great Pi vs. E Debate" is free and made possible by an endowment from an alumnus in honor of UNC Asheville Professor Emeritus Joe Parsons, who served in the Mathematics Department from 1952 to 1980. Call 828-251-6556 for more information.

BREVARD

College library marks women's history

Brevard College's J.A. Jones Library is recognizing Women's History Month in March with a special lineup of books and online resources.

A copy of the 2013 Women's History Gazette is also available to anyone who visits the library.

This year's national theme is "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics." Each year, the National Women's History Project employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme.

In celebration of Women's History, Brevard College's Library has a number of books on display, including: "Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream," "A to Z of Women in Science and Math," "Courage for the Earth (Rachel Carson)," "Elizabeth Blackwell: the First Woman Doctor" and "Why Aren't More Women in Science?"

Online resources are also readily available through NC LIVE or databases such as "Academic OneFile," "America: History & Life," "Biography in Context," "Gale Virtual Reference Library" and the EBSCOhost e-Book Collection.

Brevard College's J.A. Jones Library is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 3 to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Call 828-884-8248 or email library@brevard.edu for more information.

ASHEVILLE

(Re)Happening at former college April 6

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center at 56 Broadway, Asheville, and the Media Arts Project will host the 4th annual (Re)Happening from 6 p.m.-midnight April 6 in the original dining hall of the former Black Mountain College, now Camp Rockmont.

The event begins with a cocktail hour, leading into a seated "family style" dinner. This year's dinner will feature an expanded focus on the culinary arts with contributions from local chefs Elliot Moss and Mark Rosenstein as well as longtime supporters Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian, Ultimate Ice Cream and others.

This year, more than 80 artists will participate in more than 30 projects, performances and installations dotting the buildings and grounds.

Some of the highlights include:

u Kathy Meyers Leiner and Jenni Cockrell will perform a Butoh dance piece incorporating a Victorian-style garment made entirely of zippers. They are collaborating with designer R. Brooke Priddy on the garment.

u Severn Eaton will construct two pods, 5 to 6 feet in diameter, to serve as an experiment in interpersonal communication. Participants will be able to enter a pod individually, and have varying degrees of interactivity with the other pod, through video and microphone speakers.

u Rachel Whitlock's Comment! Subscribe! is a study of consumer culture, nascent gender and sexual identity, exhibitionism and social media via installation and interactive video. She will take over one of the camp cabins and transform it into a teenage girl's bedroom.

u Ten sound artists from Asheville working in collaboration will create a "Sound Room" in one of the lodges. Local musician Kima Moore is organizing and leading this group.

u The collaborative team of Bridget Elmer, Priddy, Matt Schnable and Nathanael Roney will transform the Roundhouse using sound, symbols, fiber, ink and light.

The second part of the evening will begin at 8:30 p.m. with music, art and performances, along with drinks and a food truck. A limited number of early-bird tickets for the entire evening, including cocktails and dinner, are available for $65 ($55 for BMCM+AC members). Call 828-350-8484 for more information.

Shuttle service from Asheville via the Gray Line Trolley is available for $7.

For a full list of participants, visit www.blackmountaincollege.org/programs/rehappening.

<p>Easter Bonnet Promenade on Saturday</p><p>Hendersonville's 11th annual Easter Bonnet Promenade will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday on Main Street. </p><p>The event is an old-fashioned Easter bonnet parade with a new twist. Participants sashay through downtown Hendersonville in their finest Easter bonnets, representing their churches in the annual event.</p><p>Everyone is welcome — men, women and children. People who wish to participate in the contest should gather in the 400 block of Main Street and saunter southward for five blocks, then cross to the west side of Main Street and promenade north to the 600 block, cross to the east and amble back to the starting point. </p><p>The winners will receive a basket of goodies from Narnia Studios. Call 828-697-6393 for more information.</p><p>Author Benson to read at Hannah Flanagan's</p><p>Hendersonville author and columnist Bruce Benson will read from his book "The Embrace" at 3 p.m. today at Hannah Flanagan's Irish Pub at 300 N. Main St.</p><p>"The Embrace" is a journal of Benson's time in Egypt, where he picked up trash at the Great Pyramids of Giza as a demonstration of his spiritual philosophy, which he calls The Embrace.</p><p>"If anyone who has seen me picking up trash in Hendersonville over the last five years has wondered why I was doing it, I will try to answer the question," Benson said.</p><p>Reception for Kanuga exhibit on April 7</p><p>The Kanuga Conference Center at 130 Kanuga Chapel Drive, Hendersonville, will host an opening reception for the 28th annual Kanuga Watermedia Workshops Instructors' Exhibition from 2:30-5 p.m. April 7 in the Fireside Lounge at the Kanuga Conference Center Inn. The exhibit runs April 7-11. </p><p>Other viewing times are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 8-10 and from 10 a.m.-noon April 11. </p><p>The exhibition includes work by Sue Archer of Palm Beach Garden, Fla., M.E. "Mike" Bailey of Santa Cruz, Calif., Linda Baker of Mooresville, Marilynn Derwenskus of Chicago, Don Getz of Peninsula, Ohio, Ken Goldman of San Diego, Lana Grow of Arden Hills, Minn., Robbie Laird of Lake Almanor, Calif., Dale Laitinen of Mountain Ranch, Calif., Jan Ledbetter of Williamsburg, Va., Annie Morgan of Grand Haven, Mich., and Janet Rogers of Ormond Beach, Fla.</p><p>The annual Kanuga Watermedia Workshop welcomes artists from across the country to study with these instructors. Each student artist works intensely with a selected instructor for the entire workshop. Call 517-281-1043 or email jtkovan@gmail.com, robbie@ kanugaww.com for more information.</p><p>Literary grant applications available</p><p>South Arts is accepting applications for its 2013-14 literary arts grant program. </p><p>This competitive program offers nonprofit arts organizations in a nine-state region the financial support to engage writers (fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry) who reside outside of the applicant's state. Applicants can receive up to $2,500.</p><p>Past grantees include the Global Education Center in Tennessee, The Festival of Words Cultural Arts Collective in Louisiana and Ruth Eckerd Hall Inc. in Florida. They have brought in writers such as Matthew Shenoda, Randall Kenan and Glenis Redmond.</p><p>The application deadline is May 1. Call 404-874-7244, Ext. 16, for more information.</p><p>ASHEVILLE</p><p>Auditions set for 'Carousel' and opera</p><p>Asheville Lyric Opera auditions for both the musical "Carousel" and opera "Suor Angelica" will take place from 5-8 p.m. April 11 at the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville. </p><p>Auditions are open to all singers regardless of experience. Rehearsal schedules are made available during the audition process. All conflicts must be noted at the audition. Schedule conflicts will influence casting. Only conflicts noted at the audition will be taken into consideration. Costume measurements will be taken from all who audition, but this does not guarantee casting. Auditioners should plan to arrive 30 minutes early. </p><p>Auditions will take place on the Diana Wortham Theatre stage. Neither the musical nor opera will be amplified by electronic means. Please keep this in mind when preparing vocally. All singers must enter through the loading dock on South Market Street directly across from the Asheville Fire Station. </p><p>All applicants must provide a performance resume and photograph. An accompanist is provided. To cover expenses, a $5 audition fee (cash or check only) is required. Call 828-236-0670 to schedule an audition. Office hours are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays. </p><p>PENLAND</p><p>Craft school offering reduced tuition</p><p>Penland School of Crafts at 3135 Conley Ridge Road, Penland, has open spaces in several upcoming classes available at half tuition to residents of Western North Carolina counties including Buncombe, Henderson, Polk and Transylvania.</p><p>Regular room and board charges apply, but students are not required to stay on campus.</p><p>The week of April 7-13, three classes are open. Elizabeth Rideout will teach calligraphy and decorated letters focusing on the Italic lettering style. John Woodin's photography class will emphasize portraiture with a mixture of natural and flash lighting. Students in Bill Thomas' wood class will make a complete wooden canoe. In addition to the tuition, the wood class has a $1,200 fee for the canoe materials. </p><p>Ceramic artist Tom Spleth will teach a two-week workshop, from April 7-20, on all aspects of making plaster molds for slipcasting, pressmolding and handbuilding.</p><p>Except for Charlie and Linda Riggs' clay class, which requires some experience, classes are open to student of all levels; beginners are welcome. Complete information is available in the classes section of the Penland website at www.penland.org. </p><p>To enroll, call 828-765-2359, Ext. 15. </p><p>Asheville</p><p>Comical math debate at UNCA</p><p>"The Great Pi vs. E Debate," a comical yet serious math debate, will be staged at 7 p.m. Thursday in UNC Asheville's Lipinsky Auditorium. </p><p>The event, UNC Asheville's annual Parsons Lecture, showcases eminent scholars explaining math theories and problems in innovative ways understood by non-mathematicians.</p><p>"The Great Pi vs. E Debate" features Colin Adams and Thomas Garrity, both professors of mathematics at Williams College in Massachussets.</p><p>Adams writes a humorous column for the Mathematical Intelligencer Journal, is author of "The Knot Book" (American Mathematical Society, 2004) and received the Deborah and Franklin Pepper Haimo Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America.</p><p>Garrity is the author of "All the Mathematics You Missed (But Need to Know for Graduate School)" (Cambridge University Press, 2002), a technical text covering topics such as vector calculus, probability theory, abstract algebra and numerous other subfields of mathematics.</p><p>"The Great Pi vs. E Debate" is free and made possible by an endowment from an alumnus in honor of UNC Asheville Professor Emeritus Joe Parsons, who served in the Mathematics Department from 1952 to 1980. Call 828-251-6556 for more information.</p><p>BREVARD</p><p>College library marks women's history</p><p>Brevard College's J.A. Jones Library is recognizing Women's History Month in March with a special lineup of books and online resources.</p><p>A copy of the 2013 Women's History Gazette is also available to anyone who visits the library.</p><p>This year's national theme is "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics." Each year, the National Women's History Project employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme.</p><p>In celebration of Women's History, Brevard College's Library has a number of books on display, including: "Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream," "A to Z of Women in Science and Math," "Courage for the Earth (Rachel Carson)," "Elizabeth Blackwell: the First Woman Doctor" and "Why Aren't More Women in Science?"</p><p>Online resources are also readily available through NC LIVE or databases such as "Academic OneFile," "America: History & Life," "Biography in Context," "Gale Virtual Reference Library" and the EBSCOhost e-Book Collection.</p><p>Brevard College's J.A. Jones Library is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 3 to 10 p.m. on Sunday. </p><p>Call 828-884-8248 or email library@brevard.edu for more information.</p><p>ASHEVILLE</p><p>(Re)Happening at former college April 6</p><p>The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center at 56 Broadway, Asheville, and the Media Arts Project will host the 4th annual (Re)Happening from 6 p.m.-midnight April 6 in the original dining hall of the former Black Mountain College, now Camp Rockmont. </p><p>The event begins with a cocktail hour, leading into a seated "family style" dinner. This year's dinner will feature an expanded focus on the culinary arts with contributions from local chefs Elliot Moss and Mark Rosenstein as well as longtime supporters Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian, Ultimate Ice Cream and others. </p><p>This year, more than 80 artists will participate in more than 30 projects, performances and installations dotting the buildings and grounds. </p><p>Some of the highlights include:</p><p>u Kathy Meyers Leiner and Jenni Cockrell will perform a Butoh dance piece incorporating a Victorian-style garment made entirely of zippers. They are collaborating with designer R. Brooke Priddy on the garment. </p><p>u Severn Eaton will construct two pods, 5 to 6 feet in diameter, to serve as an experiment in interpersonal communication. Participants will be able to enter a pod individually, and have varying degrees of interactivity with the other pod, through video and microphone speakers. </p><p>u Rachel Whitlock's Comment! Subscribe! is a study of consumer culture, nascent gender and sexual identity, exhibitionism and social media via installation and interactive video. She will take over one of the camp cabins and transform it into a teenage girl's bedroom.</p><p>u Ten sound artists from Asheville working in collaboration will create a "Sound Room" in one of the lodges. Local musician Kima Moore is organizing and leading this group.</p><p>u The collaborative team of Bridget Elmer, Priddy, Matt Schnable and Nathanael Roney will transform the Roundhouse using sound, symbols, fiber, ink and light.</p><p>The second part of the evening will begin at 8:30 p.m. with music, art and performances, along with drinks and a food truck. A limited number of early-bird tickets for the entire evening, including cocktails and dinner, are available for $65 ($55 for BMCM+AC members). Call 828-350-8484 for more information. </p><p>Shuttle service from Asheville via the Gray Line Trolley is available for $7. </p><p>For a full list of participants, visit www.blackmountaincollege.org/programs/rehappening.</p>